Blender A New Option For Designing Laser Cutting Files - How To: Blender To Laser

[Maker_Tales]

Hey everyone,

So having made an addon for Blender to let you export SVG’s I thought I should show you the whole process to make a simple something in blender and then export it into our Glowforge.

How To Design & Export A Laser Cutting File From Blender 2.83 | Tutorial |(Blender To Laser Cutter)

I’ve been working on this for quite some time as I know many here have never touched or perhaps even heard of Blender. Over the last few months I’ve created an entire series to introduce those coming from a 2D design based program into Blender and how to be very precise within blender:
Blender Precision Modeling Tutorial Series

If you have any questions or feedback please do not hesitate to ask as I’m more than happy to help.

[eflyguy]

Would you consider one for converting a 3D model (STL) to greyscale depth map for engaves?

There was a basic tutorial posted here a long time ago, but it doesn’t work with current versions and I can’t figure it out…

[Jules]

Great! I just shifted this to the Tutorials section. (Will need to watch it later, I’ve always found Blender incomprehensible.)

[Maker_Tales]

Sure thing! It would be a png but I can certainly stick that on the list for an upcoming video.

[eflyguy]

Output format is no issue. Meant STL or other common 3D model format as source

[rbtdanforth]

I was working with Blender before Inkscape and developed a material using Blend that would take the most distant part from the camera and make that black and the closest and make that white and the rest of the distances divided by 256 for grays.

It has been a while and a few upgrades now so I have some difficulty getting it working right, but for 3d engraves of 3d models it is the key.

[ekla]

Interesting, what kind of lighting setup did you use with that material?

[rbtdanforth]

@ekla

lighting setup did you use with that material?

You don’t want any lighting that is what messes up the snapshots. I do not even use the full render engine. Just the texture.

[Maker_Tales]

Hey everyone. So from what I gather you want to know how to make a depth map like this…

[Jules]

Yeah, that would be fantastic if you have time.

[eflyguy]

I was thinking to take any STL - say, this skull - and project its height above a plane, so when engraved, it would have a 3D texture.

There was an old tutorial here, but it doesn’t work with current version. At least, I can’t get it to work…

[Maker_Tales]

This comes from an stl from myminifactory

[rbtdanforth]

Yup, that is what is needed

[rbtdanforth]

One point of criticism I would make however is that you put the greatest black all the way to the back of the skull where most cannot be seen so the resolution of what you can see is much less where you want the greatest resolution (around the teeth as example) so the pure white is as small as possible even messing with the gradient some to get the most resolution at the front.

[Maker_Tales]

okydoky, I’ll see how I can finess this to get great results and then i’ll make a video on it.

[rbtdanforth]

@Maker_Tales

see how I can finess this to get great results

Your eye will see variation in white better than black, so when you think it is all black the will be more resolution than you can see, while the reverse will be the case near white,

[rbtdanforth]

@Maker_Tales

get great results

Try depth engraving what you get.

[Maker_Tales]

So I’m still working at it about 8 hours of work into this so far. I don’t think it’s a case of the file i’m making anymore but more the settings and materials I use.

[rbtdanforth]

I really like that last one! I see you caught what I said of the other one.

[Maker_Tales]

Well, I’m happy to say that I think i’ve found a way to make consistent quality files and how to engrave them. I’ll make a video in the next few weeks and share it here once it’s up =)